Family Game Night is a pretty fun franchise since you can just jump in and start playing the games. You don’t need to worry about entering really hard levels or wondering where you are up to in the plot. That being said, there aren’t a lot of minigames to choose from, which means that the game won’t have as much replay value as other games that focus on recreational activities. I’ll talk about each of the games and then we’ll see how the game stacks up.

First, let’s talk about Connect 4 Basketball! The game is pretty fun, but the aiming can be difficult to master. One problem is that the balls are launched pretty quickly, which means that many players may just fire 4 balls into the same spot as quickly as they can. It’ll become more of a speed battle than a battle of wits at that point. I guess that would be where the tricky aiming would come into play. It’s a decently fun game, but it’s not something that will hold your interest for a very long time. That being said, it is my second favorite game in the video game.

Next up, we have Sorry! Sliders. This one is my least favorite from the batch. I’ve never been a fan of the game, (I do like the Sorry! game though) and it takes a lot longer to finish a round than the others. The controls are simple enough and the computers usually won’t do so well, but this game is meant to be a multiplayer experience anyway. Still, I would recommend skipping this minigame.

Another game on the list is Yahtzee! Bowling. I’m not a huge fan of this minigame either. The actual card part is fun since it’s essentially Poker. Poker is one of the best card games and the rules are simple, but effective. The bowling is really unnecessary and doesn’t really add anything to the game. It just ends up slowing everything down and making the minigame less enjoyable. The game is all right, but relies heavily on luck and that doesn’t really translate well into a video game.

We also have Bop It! Boptagon. This one is easily one of the best minigames and I’d say that it may have the second most replay value. It’s essentially “Simon Says” as you follow the commands that are on the screen. This one does take concentration as the sudden lights can make you pick something that you weren’t planning on picking. Your reflexes actually work against you in this game which is a nice change of pace. If you are buying this video game, I would assume that this minigame is the main reason for your purchase.

Finally, we have Scrabble Flash. This game is my personal favorite out of the bunch. Picking out the words hidden among the letters can actually be pretty challenging. It’s certainly not for the faint of heart and it takes a good vocabulary. Some of the words may seem obvious, but others can be extremely difficult to pick out. This game never really gets old and has a great level of replay value.

Those are all of the minigames that are in Family Game Night. You can challenge the Game Show, but it’s basically just a mode that lets you play all five of the minigames. You should do it for the PS3 trophies, but there’s not much of a point to play it otherwise. The animation for the game is sub par at best and I would say that there are many Nintendo 64 games that show more heart. The mascot can be extremely annoying and is essentially a Mario that went wrong.

This definitely wouldn’t be the highest game on my list to recommend, but if you want to check it out…by all means. It’s certainly not the worst game that you could get and it’s much better than Family Game Night 3. This can be a fun little game to play with your friends or to use as a way to relax. That being said, if you want to play a real Party game, check out Mario Party 4!!

Overall 6/10

Lost in Shadow is a unique game that came out for the Wii. I can’t say that I had ever heard of it before I went to Gamestop. When I saw the game, (With such a great price) I knew that I needed to buy it. Everyone had been talking about Limbo being awesome and this looked similar….so why not!? I’m definitely glad that I ended up buying this one.

Lost in Shadow has an epic beginning which may leave room for interpretation. Here’s the plot, (As best as I can describe it) a kid is kidnapped and when he wakes up, his body is gone. His shadow is all that’s left of him and now he needs to find it. It would seem that his body has been taken to the top of a really huge tower. The shadow must be careful, he may not be a physical being, but..THE SHADOW BEAST is lurking around! There are also a lot of other monsters and obstacles that he must be on the lookout for. Not to mention that the being who kidnapped him may still be around.

The plot is definitely intriguing and plays like a horror game. Along the way to the top, you find the memories of other kids who died. Each memory makes you stronger and your health increases. There is a leveling up system in the game, but it’s less prevalent than in most. It’s very easy to level up and each level up is pretty drastic. By the end of the game, you’ll be completely outclassing your opponents. (In the final boss, my health would always be full thanks to the minions) You should probably go and collect all of the 90 memories. Something cool may happen if you do…! I did’t, so I don’t know what the bonus is, but it’s probably worth it. I may go back and do that at some point.

The gameplay is fun and it’s like Mario. Not exactly the same and you do have the option of attacking. I’d say that it’s like a mix of Drawn To Life and Mario. Story mode is decently long and you’ll probably be playing the game for a while. Getting a game over is pretty rare and you really don’t want to die. If you die, then you resume the game as another kid and the previous “you” is added to the total of dead people. It may take a little time to get used to playing in the shadows at first, but you get the hang of it.

Towards the end of the game, you also get to experience the “Light world”. Instead of being a shadow, you become a being of pure light. It’s the only way to exist in the real world without your body and it’s fun. The game turns into a 3D platformer during this part and it can be a nice change of pace.

Time to go into one negative. It’s not a big deal, but the game is pretty easy. There are only 2-3 bosses through the game, but none of them will really pose a threat. You health bar is just wayyyy too big and you don’t need much of a strategy to defeat the enemies. Just keep on swinging your sword and the enemy will go down quickly. The Final Boss is a little different, but you will defeat him easily enough. The minions are constantly re spawning so you can just beat them (In one hit btw) and you’ll gain back most of your health in one shot. Games don’t have to be super difficult, (Like Mega Man X) but I think that it should be a little tougher than this. Take Mario (Only the 2D games) or DBZ. I’d never call them difficult games, but some levels could still take a few tries. It’s not a big deal though, since you’ll enjoy the game anyway.

Well, this was definitely a solid Wii game. The Shadow Beast makes for a pretty impressive villain. He even has his own theme going when you fight him…or when you’re running away from him. Towards the end, this fairy appears who can rip holes in reality. (Or the dimension, but impressive eh? That scene came out of nowhere) I think that the game could definitely use a sequel since I would like to see the mysterious knight battle. (And the ending is pretty depressing for the main character) I definitely recommend this game. You’ll have a unique Wii experience and a lot of fun along the way. The game has a good amount of replay value and I should mention that the graphics are pretty solid. They’re excellent during the cutscenes and look like Final Fantasy. Time to go and buy the game folks!

Overall 6/10